Korean Job Discussion Forums

[stew1988]

I was curious as to what you think. I did a midnight run before on my current passport and want to return to Korea. If I report my passport stolen and get a new one issued, it will have a different passport number. As such, I was wondering whether this would in some way enable me to slip through the cracks?

What do you reckon?

Cheers.

[CentralCali]

I reckon you will get penalized when it's determined that you lied on your visa application, if that is determined after you are in Korea. If it's determined before then, I reckon your application will be denied.

I also reckon that the Department of State still stamps passports issued to replace lost, stolen, or damaged passports with an annotation indicating such.

[stew1988]

I will not have to lie at all on any document though. I don't see how I can be penalized for not telling the truth...

I send my documents off as normal. I get the VISA issuance number and then I get the VISA stamped. (The form that I have to take to the embassy at the end asks how many times I've visited Korea, however it does not ask for details).

[Carbon]

Stew, you are working pretty hard to get back here, and I suppose that is commendable. However, you made a mistake when you ran, and now you are paying for it. Deal with the consequences of your actions properly.

[stew1988]

Going back to Korea is a big part of my life and I have no grudges on Korea as a country one little bit. It's the most important thing in the world for me right now and indeed, I am trying my best to sort things out. It's been costly, as always getting all my documents arranged again and I cannot foresee a problem in finding a nice little job. In actual fact, I have already been offered a very nice position. Having done all of this I really don't think I could handle everything falling through at the last minute because of Korean immigration. I'm just exploring all my options...

[modernseoul]

If I remember rightly on one the visa application forms it asks if you have had a visa either cancelled or decined in the last 5 years. If may have changed in the last 6 months, so I'm not sure.

Also it costs around 80quid for a new passport and can take 4-6 weeks to process, and even than I m
ay not make any difference.

[stew1988]

I can fast track the application for the passport and get a new one in a week. It's around 100 quid...as for the VISA form, it simply asks what countries I have visited in the last 5 years and it asks how many times I have visited Korea before (no specifics needed)

[modernseoul]

Best advice is to apply for an E2 visa and be as honest as possible, us a recruiter you are comfortable with and also be realistic.

I understand it not an easy situation however don't rush into another bad situation. I rushed back because of my girlfriend and took the wrong role and left after 5 months (not on a midnight run). Now I'm back at square one getting documents together and explaining my situation over & over again.

Good luck

[modernseoul]

[Carbon]

[stew1988]

No, I did not disclose the truth. I tried that and as soon as I told them, that was it, I was no longer a candidate. Essentially, telling the truth would only find me a less than adequate job, if anything at all.

As for the form, it is different if applying from home and doesn't have any of those questions.

[CentralCali]

You do realize that the consulate personnel will immediately discover what type of visa you had before, don't you?

By the way, you are now admitting that your intended course of action is dishonest. If you were a boss and someone falsified their resume to get you to hire them, what would you do once you discovered that?

[TheUrbanMyth]

[sbp59]

Stew you have mentioned before your wife is Korean. Why can't you get an F-2 visa through your marriage to her?

You wouldn't have to worry about all this E-2 visa crap.

[stew1988]

I can't get an F2, we don't have the cash or assets.

Nobody, at any given point has asked me whether I worked in Korea previously and so I haven't had the opportunity to lie to anybody. Taking out a couple of months from my CV that were terrible and that do not by any means constitute valid work experience hardly seems deceptive to me.

The people in high places may well have information on me, however they have not given me scope to be dishonest. Getting a new passport is not dishonest, what if I just misplaced it and needed to get a different one quickly?